Page 13 of Billionaire Boss's One Night Stand

But now that I'd moved away and struck out on my own, her remote bitterness gnawed at me in a different way.

“You sound half asleep.” She huffed. “I bet you’ll make a shitty first impression. How bad are the dark circles under your eyes? You started moisturizing way too late to salvage your skin.”

I deadpanned, looking at my reflection and hating that she was right. Ididlook like a zombie. “Becca? Go to hell.”

“Ooh, prickly too. Did you sleep on the wrong side of the bed?”

“I didn’t sleep much.”

“Aw. Poor baby. Why not? Scared of all the noises in the city?” She laughed.

“No. I was fucking a stranger I met at a bar. All night long.” I pressed my lips together in a firm line as I lowered my phone and jabbed my finger at the screen. Disconnecting a call had never felt better.

I held the device still, glowering at it. “I hate you.”

I did.

In a normal, ordinary world, that call should’ve gone differently.Yeah, right. Why expect anything but the norm with her?

She could’ve been a concerned sibling, calling to check on me with the knowledge that I’d be nervous about starting a new job.Not investigate whether I lied about getting the position, calling my bluff.

She could’ve been contacting me to wish me luck, wishing me well.Not bicker and put me down. Again.

“She’ll never change,” I muttered as I dropped my phone to my bed. I told Mr. Sexy last night that I wanted to celebrate the changes in my life, the newness of this adventure in New York, but Becca would always be the same bitchy sister who loathed my existence.

It was a huge part of why I wanted to move away, to get a clean break from her. And still, I couldn’t have that peace.

If she calls one more time, I’m blocking her damn number.

I got ready, perfecting my look as best as I could. Lingering in the back of my mind, her negativity festered and ate away at me.

Then when I walked out of my apartment, heading toward the skyscraper the Richards family owned, it picked at my resolve to stay positive and excited. The glow of giddiness dimmed. My enthusiasm fell, and I debated getting another coffee to infuse myself with a little extra pep.

Caffeine wouldn’t fix anything, though. Not with how low my mood sank after hearing Becca’s voice. It was too easy to imagine her whiny voice spewing more of the same.

“You’re so flat footed, you’ll never be able to walk in heels without looking like a dork.”

I stumbled—again—on a hole in the sidewalk.

“Do you really think that going natural is a good look for you?”

I licked my lips, likely removing the last of my pink gloss.

“Your freckles make you look like you’re thirteen. Especially when your hair is all frizzy like that.”

I smoothed down the low braid I’d done.

“You look like an idiot. Always with the flowers.”

I checked that my pin was still on my shirt.

Enough.I wouldn’t be able to handle it if I let her negativity berate me all morning.

I walked carefully, avoiding cracks or puddles. Already, I was clued in to the fact that making eye contact with strangers wasn’t typical here. Keeping my head down, I tried to resist all my doubts and worries. Even if Becca hadn’t dragged me down with that call, I felt out of place. Like a small town girl in the big city with too much noise.

Smoke and exhaust hung in the air. The stink of sewers and garbage wafted close. Near the intersections, pedestrianshurried faster than me, jostling me and making me nervous that I’d drop my purse or tote bag.

By the time I reached the building, I felt my face falling in a frown.

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